YELLOWSTONE PARK
In the northwestern part of Wyoming, at the summit of the continent, is
a tract of land containing more than three thousand square miles. It is
a region which attracts thousands of sightseers every year; yet
inconceivable as it may now seem, this marvellous region was unknown to
the world until 1870. Being difficult of access, because flanked by high
mountains on all sides, and possessing no mineral deposits of value,
there was but little inducement for any one but a hunter or a trapper to
penetrate it.
John Coulter, a frontiersman, was probably the first white man to set
foot within its territory. He was a member of the Lewis and Clark
Expedition and, having observed that there were many beavers in the
headwaters of the Missouri River, desired to try trapping there. Having
obtained permission to leave the expedition before its return to St.
Louis, he forthwith set out to hunt and trap in that region. This was in
1807.
While following his favorite employment he met with many strange and
exciting adventures with both Indians and wild beasts. And during his
wanderings he beheld sights so marvellous as to tax the credulity of
even his own senses; among them a glass mountain, geysers sending up
great volumes of water hundreds of feet high into the air, boiling hot
springs, deep and gorgeously painted canyons, stupendous water-falls,
curiously colored rock formations, and a mountain lake filled with the
finest of fish.
So well versed was he in woodcraft that he could travel through pathless
forests and over rugged mountains as unerringly as by well-beaten
trails. A love for wild nature and adventure had become his ruling
passion. After hunting and trapping for several years he returned to St.
Louis. Here he told his friends the marvels that he had seen and his
adventures with Indians and wild beasts; but his hearers being doubting
Thomases, listened with incredulity to his astonishing stories.
He related his experiences and what he had seen to an editor of a St.
Louis paper, who, after listening patiently to the narrative, informed
Coulter that his wonderful adventures, glass mountain, and boiling
springs among the snows were falsehoods and could find no place for
publication. Coulter gave interviews to many other persons, and stuck so
persistently to his statements that the region which he had so minutely
described was derisively dubbed "Coulter's Hell."
Coulter's experiences certainly were marvellous. On one occasion, when
he and a companion were trapping along the Madison Fork of the Missouri
River, they were surprised by a company of Blackfeet Indians who killed
his friend but spared his life for the time being. After the Indians had
consulted for some time in regard to what should be done with Coulter,
the chief asked him if he could run fast. Coulter replied that he could
not. He was in reality the fleetest runner among the western hunters,
but he told the Indians that he could not run fast, since he concluded
that there was a chance of saving his life by running should he be given
the opportunity.
[Illustration: The Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming Looking down
canyon from Grand Point]
He was stripped naked and taken several miles away to give the Indians
some sport before killing him. Then the chief commanded his followers to
remain back while he led the captive some three hundred yards in front
of them. At a given signal he told Coulter to save himself if he could.
At once the war whoop resounded and six hundred demons were on the track
of the fugitive. Coulter strained every nerve to outdistance his
murderous pursuers. His great exertions caused the blood to spirt from
his nostrils and smear the front of his body.
After running a while he heard footsteps, and turning saw an Indian with
a spear but a few yards behind him. Being exhausted, and fearing that at
any moment the spear might be hurled at him, he concluded to surprise
the Indian. Stopping suddenly he wheeled about and presented his bloody
body and outstretched arms to the Indian.
The red man, greatly astonished, in attempting to stop quickly stumbled
and fell, breaking his spear. Before the prostrate runner could recover
himself Coulter seized the head of the shaft and quickly pinioned his
foe to the ground.
Then the fleeing hunter ran at his topmost speed toward the river, about
a mile distant. Arriving there a little ahead of his pursuers, he
plunged into the water and swam as fast as he could. Observing a raft of
drift-wood that had lodged against a small island, he dived under the
debris, and thrusting his head up between the tree-trunks of the
heterogeneous mass succeeded in getting into a position where he could
breathe and yet be concealed.
No sooner had he hidden himself than the yelling savages appeared on the
river's bank. They looked in all directions for their missing captive,
but in vain. They even went on the island and climbed over the
drift-wood, scanning every possible place of concealment. Seeing no
trace of their white prisoner they reluctantly returned to the mainland.
Coulter remained under the raft in dreadful suspense until night, when,
hearing nothing of his foes, he silently slipped from under the raft
and swam down stream a long distance before landing.
His situation was now indeed a desperate one; his feet had become filled
with thorns from the prickly pear while running across the prairie; he
was also naked, hungry, and without means to kill the wild game for
food; moreover, the distance to the nearest fort was at least a
seven-days' journey. But he was in excellent physical condition and,
being inured to hardships and skilled in traversing the pathless
wilderness, he at length reached the fort, having subsisted in the
meantime chiefly on roots whose nutritious value he had learned from the
Indians.
John Bridger, a famous hunter, was familiar with the region now known as
Yellowstone Park as early as 1830, and he endeavored to have his
descriptions of it published, but he could find no periodical or
newspaper willing to print his statements. In Bridger's case, however,
there was ground for doubt, inasmuch as he had a reputation for
exaggeration, and the facts that he related about the wonders of the
Yellowstone were considered mere fabrications.
One of his most astounding stories concerned an elk. He claimed that
while hunting he espied an elk that seemed to be only a short distance
away; taking a good aim he fired, but the animal was unmoved by the
shot. He again fired with more deliberation, yet with the same result as
before. Having fired twice more with no effect he seized his rifle by
the barrel and rushed toward the antlered monarch; but all at once he
ran up against what seemed to be a high vertical wall. On investigation
the wall proved to be a mountain of perfectly transparent glass. And
still the elk kept on grazing quietly!
The strangest thing about the mountain he said was that its curved form
made it a perfect telescopic lens of great power. On going around to
the other side of the mountain he caught sight of the elk, which he
judged must have been at least twenty-five miles away when he first saw
it by the powerful glass-lens mountain!
In 1860-61 gold was discovered in Montana, and prospectors began to
extend their search for the precious metal into adjoining territory. The
Indians were troublesome; nevertheless many prospectors ventured into
the region of the Upper Yellowstone during the years succeeding, and
reported seeing wonderful volcanic agencies at work.
To settle the many flying accounts about volcanic wonders in the
Yellowstone section, two expeditions headed by prominent citizens of
Montana were formed to ascertain the truth concerning these statements.
The expeditions set out during the consecutive years 1869 and 1870. On
their return excellent descriptions of what they had seen were published
in the Montana papers, and these accounts were copied by the leading
papers of the country.
The second, or Washburn-Doane, expedition of 1870 was the most
successful in its explorations, since it was provided with a military
escort. One of the members of this expedition wrote up a series of
excellent articles which were published in _Scribner's Magazine_, thus
giving further authenticity and wide publicity to the discovery.
In 1871 interest awakened by the last expedition caused the United
States Government to send out a special expedition of geological and
engineering men to collect exact data, take photographs, and make a
survey of the Yellowstone region. The geological section was under the
direction of Dr. P. V. Hayden. Mainly through Hayden's influence and
foresight Congress withdrew the tract now comprising Yellowstone
National Park from occupancy or sale, and dedicated and set it apart as
a public park or pleasure ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the
people. The bill was signed by the president March 1, 1872. In 1872 two
United States geological surveying parties were sent out and detailed
explorations were made during the next ten years.
The park is now under the management of a military commander as acting
superintendent, aided by a detachment of United States troops, who
maintain order, prevent acts of vandalism, and see that the rules and
regulations of the park are obeyed. No one except the troops is allowed
to bring firearms into the park, and the wild animals, now carefully
protected by law, have greatly multiplied. Through subsequent acts of
Congress two forest reserves have been added to the park proper, the
Madison Forest Reserve in 1902 and the Yellowstone Forest Reserve in
1903. These additions make the total area reserved from settlement about
seventeen thousand six hundred square miles.
The only living beings that are permitted to fell as many trees as they
wish are the beavers, which use them in constructing their dams. The
grizzly and the black bear flourish in the park and have become quite
tame. In the neighborhood of the camps and hotels they have become an
intolerable nuisance because of their propensity to break into tents and
buildings in search of food.
The lordly elk nourishes here and numbers of them may be seen at almost
any time of day. A herd of buffaloes is jealously protected, and food
and shelter are provided for them during the winter when necessary.
These animals are increasing in numbers. Many antelope, deer, and
mountain sheep are seen in the park.
The mountain lion and the coyote are two animals that the authorities of
the park feel justified in killing in order to preserve the other game,
but the wild ruggedness of the territory, which affords these pests
ample opportunity to multiply unmolested, prevents their extinction.
During the fall of the year wild geese and ducks frequent the park in
great numbers; some of the latter remain all winter long in places where
the hot springs keep the water of the streams from freezing. The United
States Fish Commission has taken special care in stocking the fishless
streams with trout, and now the Yellowstone Park furnishes the finest
trout-fishing in the whole world. Visitors to the park are granted full
license to fish, but they must use only hook and line.
About one-fifth of the reservation consists of tracts suited for
grazing, but for agricultural purposes the park is worthless, since
frosts occur every month of the year.
The forests consist of a variety of trees, but only one kind, the
Douglas spruce, is suitable for good lumber. The quaking aspen is the
only deciduous tree that is abundant. Elk and deer browse about these
trees and keep them trimmed at a uniform distance from the ground.
During the long rainless season the distant hills and mountains are
bathed in an atmosphere of soft purple and blue in ever-varying
intensity, while later in the season Jack Frost with his magic brush
paints the mountain-sides with the most varied and gorgeous colors, and
the aspen changes to rich autumnal tints.
At the proper season Yellowstone Park is a vast garden of wild flowers
which are dense and rich in colors even up to the snow line. Several
varieties of the lupine and the larkspur clothe the hillsides with every
shade of color, while the modest violet seeks secluded spots in which to
bloom. Forget-me-nots, geraniums, harebells, primroses, asters,
sunflowers, anemones, roses, and many other plants are abundant.
The climate puts new life and energy into the visitor. Contrary to the
general opinion, the climatic conditions in the park are not extreme,
notwithstanding its high elevation. The average temperature at the
Mammoth Hot Springs in January, the coldest month, is 18 deg. F., and in
July, the hottest month, 61 deg. In the plateau regions, averaging
fifteen hundred feet higher, the temperature is 8 deg. in January and
51 deg. in July.
Good roads have been constructed throughout the park connecting all
points of interest, and in many instances these roads have been built at
an enormous expense. The United States Government has already expended
upward of one million dollars in road-making and bridge-building. There
are now over sixty bridges and five hundred culverts to supplement the
five hundred miles of roads within the park proper and the forest
reserves.
We enter the park from the north and then proceed to visit a few of the
most interesting places. Our tour embraces Mammoth Hot Springs, Norris
Geyser Basin, Firehole Geyser Basins, Yellowstone Lake, and the Grand
Canyon of Yellowstone River.
Leaving the Northern Pacific train at Gardiner, the entrance station to
the park, we take a coach for Mammoth Hot Springs, five miles distant,
and ride along the foaming, dashing Gardiner River through a canyon
bearing the same name. Portions of the way unfold bold, picturesque
scenery, giving a fitting introduction to the marvels and greater scenic
beauty that are in store for us. We cross the river four times on steel
bridges within one mile.
Just after crossing the last bridge we see an immense stream of hot
water issuing from an opening in the rocks and discharging directly into
the Gardiner River. This stream, the Boiling River, we are told, comes
through subterranean channels from the famous Mammoth Hot Springs a mile
and a half away.
Arriving at the springs, we find here a large, well-equipped hotel,
where are also the administration head-quarters of the park. After
resting a short time, we visit the world-renowned Hot Springs.
The Mammoth Hot Springs rise from the summit of a hill of limestone
formation three hundred feet high, built by the deposit of mineral
matter held in solution by the hot water that issues from them. The
terraces, containing upward of two hundred acres, are delicately tinted
in beautiful shades of red, yellow, orange, brown, and purple. Those
over which the water is still flowing present the most attractive
appearance, the colors being fresh and rich; the others have dull, ashen
colors.
Calcareous deposits are rapidly building up these terraces in various
beautiful forms, the edges of many being supported by delicate columns,
some of which resemble organ pipes. Different names are given to the
terraces according to form or fancy, as Pulpit Terrace, Jupiter Terrace,
Narrow Gauge Terrace, Minerva Terrace, etc.
The overhanging bowls built up by these deposits are exquisite specimens
of Nature's work and are filled with water of wonderful transparency;
while the variety of forms of these receptacles and their charming
colors fascinate the beholder.
Scattered over the formation in all directions are numberless
curiosities, such as the Devil's Kitchen, Cupid's Cave, and the Stygian
Cave. In many of these caves there is an accumulation of carbonic-acid
gas sufficient to destroy animal life. This is especially true of the
latter cave.
We now journey by coach to Norris Geyser Basin. On the route we pass by
Obsidian Cliff, sometimes called Obsidian Mountain, which is an immense
mass of black volcanic glass. This mineral was used by the Indians for
making arrow-heads and spear-heads.
In constructing a road around the base of the cliff, great difficulty
was encountered on account of the hardness of the obsidian. The
superintendent in charge of the work hit upon a happy device by which to
quarry it. Log fires were built along the base, and when the volcanic
glass was hot cold water was thrown upon it. This method cracked the
material into fragments which were easily removed.
[Illustration: The Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming Mammoth Hot
Springs. Summit Pools]
Opposite the base of Obsidian Cliff is Beaver Lake, the home of numerous
beavers and a great resort for waterfowl during a part of the year.
After passing Obsidian Cliff, hot springs become more numerous until we
reach Norris Geyser Basin. In this locality the odor of sulphur is
strong and unpleasant. A little farther on a loud roar startles us, and
a few moments later we see the cause of the explosion; it is a powerful
steam jet issuing from the summit of Roaring Mountain. When Dame Nature
"turns on steam" there is no nonsense about it.
Norris Basin seems to be of more recent volcanic development, since some
of the steam vents in other basins have ceased action during the past
few years; moreover, several new ones have opened, one of which rivals
Roaring Mountain. Constant and Minute-Man Geysers, though small, are
frequent and vigorous in action. In passing through this section the
road-bed is hot for some distance, showing that the subterranean rocks
which heat the water cannot be very deep down in the earth.
In going to the Firehole Basins we follow Gibbon River to within four
miles of its mouth, then, crossing a point of land to the Firehole, we
ascend the right bank of the stream to Lower Basin. On the road we pass
many springs; the most conspicuous of which, Beryl Spring, lies close to
the road. It discharges a large volume of boiling water and the rising
steam frequently obscures the road.
In one locality outside the beaten track of tourists there is a
veritable Hades on earth. Here, as we walk over ground that is very hot,
we are nearly suffocated by the fumes of sulphur. All around us are
hundreds of seething, boiling vats of water, and the whole area is
cracked and filled with holes from which noxious vapors rise.
Soon after we leave this infernal region we hear a constant roar like
that coming from a large steamer about to leave its moorings. We follow
in the direction from which the sound proceeds and at length discover
the cause.
On approaching the source of the sound we see a large volume of steam
rushing with immense velocity from an opening in the ground, while the
rock around the orifice is black as jet. The guide tells us that this
huge steam vent is called the Black Growler, and that it continues
vigorously active summer and winter, year in and year out. Its roar can
be heard four miles away.
[Illustration: The Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming Beehive Geyser]
The chief wonder of Lower Firehole Basin is the Great Fountain Geyser.
Its formation is unique. At first sight one is led to believe that the
broad circular structure which he sees is artificial. On close
inspection numerous pools, moulded and nicely ornamented, are seen sunk
in this stone table, while in the centre there is a large and deep pool
filled with hot water, but looking like a beautiful spring. At the time
of eruption this central pool of water is shot up to the height of one
hundred feet or more. Near the Great Fountain Geyser is a small valley
in the upper part of which is a large hot spring called the Firehole.
When this spring is visited on a windless day, a light-colored flame
seems to be constantly issuing from the bottom, flickering back and
forth like a torch, and the visitor feels sure he is gazing at the
hidden fires beneath that heat the water. It is the illusion caused by
superheated steam escaping through a fissure in the rock and dividing
the water. The reflection from the surface thus formed and a black
background formed by the sides and bottom of the pool account for the
phenomenon.
Surprise Pool is found near the Great Fountain; it will make good its
name should you throw into it a handful of dirt. Excelsior Geyser, not
far away, is really a winter volcano, its crater being a seething
caldron near the Firehole River, into which it sends six million gallons
of water each day, even when not in eruption.
At times it sends up a column of water, fifty feet in diameter, to the
height of two hundred and fifty feet. The eruptions take place at long
intervals--seven to ten years. On account of the great depth and extent
of this geyser it has sometimes been denominated "Hell's Half-Acre."
Following along Firehole River we pass into the Upper Basin, a section
the most popular with the majority of tourists. Among the geysers in
this basin we shall find Grotto, Castle, Giant, Giantess, Bee Hive,
Splendid, Grand, and Old Faithful. Each of them has an interest
peculiarly its own, but Old Faithful is always true to its name and is
perhaps best appreciated by visitors.
The opening through which Old Faithful disgorges its water is at the
summit of a mound built up by its own exertions. The wrinkles on its
face tell of long-continued service. Every seventy minutes this faithful
worker sends up a column of water to the height of one hundred and
eighty feet, and at each eruption more than one million gallons of water
are thrown out.
We now pass through a section noted for its wild and picturesque scenery
and considered the pleasantest on the trip. In leaving the Upper Basin
we follow along Firehole River to the mouth of Spring Creek, then along
this creek to the Continental Divide. From there, travelling a few miles
along the Pacific slope, we cross the Divide and descend the mountains
into the valley of the Yellowstone.
Near the central part of the park, encircled by a forest and elevated
nearly eight thousand feet above the sea-level, lies a remarkable body
of water supplied by ice-cold streams formed by the melting snow on the
surrounding mountains. This body of water, of which the Yellowstone
River is the outlet, is the famous Yellowstone Lake, thirty miles long
and twenty miles wide; it is filled with trout.
Here the fisherman can catch hundreds of trout in a short time, but
unfortunately most of them are afflicted with a parasitic disease,
rendering them unfit for food. Researches have been made seeking the
cause of the disease in order, if possible, to apply a remedy, but so
far to no purpose. It is conjectured that the superabundance of fish
together with a dearth of suitable food lowers their vitality, thus
rendering them liable to disease.
Yellowstone stands next to Lake Titicaca as the highest large body of
water in the world. The sunrise and sunset effects on the lake are most
beautiful. A steamer plies on the lake carrying mail and passengers. The
bird life on this body of water and its shores is represented by swans,
geese, ducks, cranes, pelicans, curlews, herons, plovers, and snipe.
For beauty and grandeur the lower falls and canyon of the Yellowstone
River are unsurpassed. A body of water seventy feet wide rushes forward
with impetuous speed and joyously takes a leap of more than three
hundred feet to the rocks below, where, breaking into millions of
particles, it forms a great cloud of spray. The water then dashes on
with renewed vitality between the walls of a canyon fourteen hundred
feet deep, and most gorgeously painted by nature in such a variety and
lavishness of tints that they defy the most skilful artist to reproduce
them.
As one gazes from the edge of the chasm into and along the depths below,
he attempts in vain to measure the fulness and beauty of this handiwork
of nature. He is too amazed for utterance and remains spellbound,
communing only with himself and nature regarding the unfathomable
significance of such marvels. When the famous painter, Thomas Moran,
desired to reproduce in colors on canvas this masterpiece of nature, he
gathered his inspiration from Artist Point, and after he had finished
the celebrated painting which now adorns the Capitol at Washington, he
acknowledged that the beautiful tints of the canyon were beyond the
reach of human art.
The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone has no equal on the face of the
globe. With a breadth equal to its depth, this richly decorated canyon
stands out unique among the world's wonders. Its beautiful panorama of
stained walls, down which trickle streams of water which brighten the
tints in some places and soften them in others, extends for a distance
of three miles. The entire canyon is fifteen miles in length.
A most interesting place to visit, but outside the itinerary of most
tourists, is the Fossil, or Petrified, Forest. This section, especially
attractive to the scientist, lies in the northeastern part of the park
just north of Amethyst Mountain.
To one who can read Nature's books, a wondrous volume is open,
disclosing in its strata the hidden secrets of many by-gone geological
ages. Here on the north flank of the mountain are two thousand feet of
stratifications. On the ledges, tier above tier and story above story,
are seen the opal and agate stumps and trunks of twenty ancient forests,
some of the trunks being ten feet in diameter.
What wonderful stories do they tell of life and death, of flood and
volcanic fire, ranging through the eons of the past! So perfect are
these petrifactions that the annual rings can be easily counted and even
the grain of the wood is plainly visible.
As one traverses this wonderland he is impressed by the evidence of the
stupendous forces that lie smouldering beneath the crust of the earth.
It is not improbable that at some future time, by the further wrinkling
or sinking of the surface of this part of the American continent, the
slumbering volcanic fires may be awakened to new life and activity.